Sport shoe and means of attachment



H. E. scHA'rz 2,484,389

SPORT SHOE AND MEANS OF ATTACHMENT 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Oct. 11, 1949.

Filed Feb. 20, 1947 101 10 a 105 H W010 I" u IN VEN TOR.

Oct. 11, 1949. H. E. SCHATZ SPORT SHOE AND MEANS OF ATTACHMENT 2 Sheets-Shae Filed Feb. 20, 1947 Patented Oct. 11 1949 UNITED S TATES PAT EN T '0 F-F lC'E 25484389 SPORT 'SHdE AND or ATTXCHMENT Herman E. Schatz, Ocean Park, Calif; Application rsiiiuary'zo, 191i, serial Nb. $299711 This invention relates to a shoe "attachment for use in hiking, mountain climbing, and the like.

When walking on irregular terrain, such as up and down hills, the different angles to -wl'il'cih ones feet are subjected in supporting the may impose on the leg muscles abnormal strain and cause the hiker to b'e'come tired much sooner than would be the case'ir it were possible to carry the weight of the body upon feet maintaihedin a substantially level or normal position, and itis therefore a primary object of this invention to provide an attachment which may be fixed to an ordinary shoe that can readily be adjusted for compensating for the inclination of the ground on which one is'walking.

Another object is to provide novel means for mounting the present attachment on a shoe that will transmit the connecting forces to the shoe in such a manner as to relieve the foot of the wearer from the strain of maintaining the at tachment in place on the shoe. Another object is to provide a shoe attachment that will grip the surface of the ground and at the same time afford sufilcient contact area with the ground to prevent miring or sink ing in wet and soft iplaces.

Another object is to provide a shoe attachment having the above characteristics that will be equally adaptable for walking on smooth surfaces such as pavement.

A'further object is to 'provide a shoe attach= ment having the above characteristics that will be light in weight, durable, easy to adjust, 'siihple in structure and comparatively cheap to man'- ufacture.

A still further object is to provide means where'- by any attachment, such as a skate, may be attached to the shoes of a wearer in a simple and effective manner. I

The above and further objects will be made apparent throughout the further description of the invention when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, wherein like reference characters refer to like parts. It is to be distinctly understood that the drawings are not a definition of the invention, but merely illustrate one form by means of which the inventioh may be ffectuated.

2 In the erawin'gs: v Fig. 1 is a "Side 'elevatiofi al {View Of atta'bh: ment "assembled "on a Shb embodying the inven tidll.

i i-g. *2 is a top plan view "of Fig. i, partly in section havihg the shoe 'ihldvd.

Fig. is fa sectional View taken along the "line II-r III-6f Fig. 1.

FIg A is}, sectional view taken along the line -Iver Fi .2;

Fig. 5 is a de'tail "sectional view taken along the lineV-VofE-ig4. v g

Fig. 6 a sectional view taken along the line v r; vr or Fig. 4;

"Fig-.7 is an elevations-'1 viewer a detail embody ing the invention. g I

Fig. 8fis a sectiorial view "taken along the line VIl-I YI-I'I of Fig. *7; 4 h rigxa isa fra-girrentaI View i-llustratinga modistat on "of 'a detail embodied in the invention.

ferringto the drawings which illustrate one formo'f the invention, there-is provided a ground engaging or estimating member, (represented in its entirety *by 10) having pivotally mounted thereon abridge of shoe supporting member (rep: reseiiiea -ii tseiitii siy twomi ansiieiiies ea in its "entirety by 1 2) for adjusting the P051 an of the wage Fl -relative to the ground cont ct ir'ig' riiein-b'e'r 0 and means (represented in th r ei'itir'ties by and -15) for attaching the d life to the rear part and front part, respectively, series It. "g rjo'irnd engagi g member l0 consists of a pair of spaced, vertically disposed plates 'or side memb rs 21 and 12. These plates 21 aria 22 are s'i'ibstafit auy in the shape of an inverted V, the apexes of which are provided with openfngs '2-3 and "2 1 for receiv n bolts, pins or stub shafts fid 25 i sse'ciiveiy sn which bridge or sh qes ijporti-h'g nieinher H is pivota ll'y mount ed. The p stes 2| an 22 are flanged ouiwa alv as .jshownfat 2s and 29. A 'fiortion intermediate 6f the ends of these fiaiil'fi's 28 and 29 tfiniiialf infdowi'iwajrdly e'iiteridi'ng flanges 3-! and '32,

I The plates 2| and iters "spared aliait *9. flat, relatively wide lllblllbel 34-. The 'meniiiei 31 is "p'osfti ned centrally between "the longij menial-length of the ii tes an is provided with flanges l8 and i9on oppo nected to the flanges 3| and 32. The flanges i8 and 53 are grooved or serrated to form teeth or ground-engaging elements 33. The front and rear ends of plates 2I and 22 are connected by downwardly extending, curved, channelshaped members 35 and 35, respectively. These channel members 35 and 35 aside from augmenting the teeth 33 and gripping the ground, may have their channels filled with a rubber composition element as indicated by dotted lines These removably held rubber elements 36 preferably extend slightly below the lowermost plane of channel members 35 and 35 and teeth in order to prevent the lower edges of the channel members 35 and 35' andthe teeth 33 from contacting surfaces such as pavement.

The bridge iI may be of stamped metal to form a central, longitudinal channel 31. The upper edges of the sides 44 and 45 of the channel 3'! terminate in outwardly extending ilanges 5i and 52 respectively, the flanges 5i and 52 forming a support for the sole of the shoe I6. Opposed openings 65 are provided in the center of sides 44 and 45 of channel 31 and inalignment with openings 23and 24 provided at the apexes of plates 2I and 22. A longitudinally disposed, internally threaded tubular member 68 is positioned in the channel 37 and in alignment with openings 60 for receiving the threaded ends of stub shafts, pinsor bolts 25 and 26 upon which the bridge is pivotally supported. It will be noted that the lower face of the ground contacting member I extends forwardly and rearwardly of the horizontal, pivotal connection with the shoe supporting bridge, and therefore extends beneath both the heel and toe portions of a shoe held on the bridge.

The front and rear ends of channel 31 are closed by members and 6 respectively. The members 5 and 6 are provided with openings for receiving turnable, supporting, non-threaded end portions of a shaft 38, as shown at 3 and 4 respectively. The rear end of the shaft has a winged member 2 fixed thereto for turning the shaft. The shaft 38 is provided with a threaded portion adjacent each of its ends, the threads on one end being opposite to those on the other end. The rear threaded end of shaft 38 is connected to means I4 by way of a threaded opening t! provided adjacent the bottom of the legs of a substantially inverted U-shaped member 42. The lower free end of the legs of member 42 extend into and are adapted to move along the channel 3! in response to rotation of the threaded shaft 38. A heel-engaging member 43 is carried by the member 42 so that upon rotating the shaft 38 the position of engaging member 43 may be adjusted to fit shoes of different lengths.

The heel-engaging member 43 may consist of a curved, laterally extending portion 39 adapted to engage and conform to the contour of a shoe heel. The center of the curved portion 39 of the member 43 may be connected with member 42 by providing a looped portion connected in spaced openings adjacent the top of member 42 as shown at 40. The ends of the curved portion 39 terminate in downwardly extending side members II and I2 positioned to engage opposite sides of a shoe in the region of the heel. Thelower ends of side members 'II and I2 termihate in inwardly turned prong members I3 and I4 respectively for engaging the under sides of fiang'e's 5I and 52 respectively. The prong members 73' and I4 are adapted to slide along the under-surfaces of the flanges 5| and 52 in response to movement of member 42 by the threaded shaft 38.

Novel means are provided for attaching the means I i to a shoe in the region of the heel which includes a clip represented in its entirety by One of these clips is positioned on each side of the heel of the shoe and engages the upper edge of the shoe. The clip 66 has a relatively wide, elongated inner member I00. The member I53 is folded back on itself to form a relatively short, downwardly extendin outer member IOI connected by a curved portion I02. The portion iti forms a channel ms with the upper portion of member Hill, the channel I03 being adapted to receive the upper edge of the side of the counter as clearly shown in Fig. 1. The

lower end of member IEEI terminates in an outwardly extending flange I35 (see Fig. 8) to which is connected a loop or link member I06 of U shape, having the upper end of its legs inserted through spaced openings in the flange I05 and held herein by means of upset ends as shown at till. Straps I38 are provided on each side of the heel of the shoe and their lower ends may be attached to member 35 on each side of the shoe heel as shown at III. The free end of the straps may then pass up and through the links I55 from the exterior of the links, then downwardly and around the member 39, and then upwardly across the arch of the foot of the wearer, the'straps having their free ends connected by any suitable means such as a buckle, as shown at H2. By lacing each side of the counter to the member the greater part of the stress of fixing the means is to the heel is carried by the counter or rear part of the side walls of the shoe, and very little stress is transmitted to the arch of the foot of the wearer, since the straps I08 are folded through the links we and downwardly folded around the cooperating portions of member 39. The inner member I06 of the clip 66 is fiat and smooth and lends rigidity to that portion of the counter with which it is in contact and which portion is subjected to the stress of maintaining the means I4 in rigid contact with the shoe heel. It is here pointed out that the clip 66 and the manner in which it is fixed to the present device may be also employed in connection with attaching skates or other articles to shoes. Also, one end of the straps may be fixed to the loops I06 on the clips 68 as shown in Fig. 7 and the free end of the straps passed under and around the member 39 and over the arch of a foot where the free ends of the straps may be connected together.

. The clips 66 for engaging the shoe in the region of the heel may be varied considerably in shape and form, as is shown by Fig. 9. The inner member H30 maybe shorter than, or even the same length as, the outer member'IDI. In this form the outer member is elongated and provided adjacent its lower end with an opening I06, through which the strap I08 is looped, also tongue member I30 having its upper end pivotally carried by member lei adjacent the top of the opening H36 and its lower free end extending below the bottom edge of opening I06 and on the outside thereof. The lower end of tongue member is pointed and adapted to engage the strap I05 and prevent it from slipping relative to the member lilI'.

Means l5 at the forward end of the bridge I I consists of a laterally disposed, relatively narrow member 45, similar in cross section to the bridge II and having a center channel portion I fitting into. channel -3'I of bridge I1l. A member I6 having a longitudinally threadedopening therethrough is fixedly mounted within the channel portion I5 for receiving the front threaded end of the shaft 38, whereby upon rotating the shaft, the member 46 will be moved longitudinally of the bridge I I. The ends of mem ber 46 terminate in downwardly extending flanges I! and '38 to which clamps 41 and 48 respectively are adjustably mounted. The clamp members 4! and 48 are adapted to contact the opposite sides of the forward portion of the sole of the shoe.

For the purpose of mounting the clamping members 47 and 48 on the flanges 11 and I8, the flanges TI and "it are punched to form flanged openings 5! and 32 respectively. These openings BI and 82 are threaded to receive threaded bolts 83 and as respectively. The bolts 83 and 84 extend through openings 85 and 86 adjacent the bottom of the clamping members 41 and 48 The bolts 83 and he may be turnably mounted in the openings 85 and 86 by suitable bearings (not shown). For the purpose of turning the bolts 83 and 8 5-, they are provided at their outer ends with fixed wing members 9| and 92. In order to maintain the clamping members 41 and 48 in upright position, there is provided a pair of integral, horizontally extending arms 8"! and 88 on each side of members 41 and 48. These arms 87 and 38 extend into complementary openings provided in vertical flanges I1 and I6 of the members 45. It can now be understood that upon turning the bolts by their respective wing members 9i and 62, the clamping members 41 and 48 may be moved toward or away from the adjacent sole of the shoe as required. The members ll and 48 are provided adjacent their upper ends with slots 63 and 94 to which the ends of lacing straps 53 are connected for fixedly securing and lacing the means I5 to the shoe in the region of the toe.

The means l2 for adjusting the relative position of the bridge l I with the ground-contacting means It consists of a substantially semicircular shaped member 55 centrally positioned beneath the bridge I l and having its ends connected to the bottom of the bridge H by any suitable means, not shown, such as by welding or riveting. The central portion of the member 55 is provided with a longitudinally extending recess or opening 56 (see Fig. 5). The opposite sides of the opening 55 are notched as shown at 5? for engaging cooperating knife edges 65 and 62, provided on the opposite sides of the lower portion of a member 58. The member 56 is vertically disposed between the plates 2| and 22 and centrally thereof. The member 58 is mounted for vertical movement whereby to move the knife edges 6| and 62 of the lower portion of member 58 downwardly and out of contact with the notches 51 in the opening 56, whereby to permit movement of the semicircular member 55 attached to the bridge II. The upper end of member 58 is pivotally mounted at 85 to a lever i! 5. The lever H5 is disposed laterally and centrally between the plates 2I and 22 and has one of its ends pivotally mounted to a member H6, fixed adjacent an opening I",

provided in the side of the outer plate 21 as shown at H8. The other end of the lever H5 extends through a slot H9 provided in the side of the inner plate 22, the upper end of the slot H9 acting as a stop to limit the upward movement of the free end I26 of the lever I I5. The lever I I5 is biased upwardly by a spring I2I encircling mem- 61 her 58'- and disposed between a plate lower edge of member H5.

The plate I22 is supported above the member 34 by means of downwardly extending end flanges I25 and F25. The flanges I25 and I26 terminate in outwardly extending flanges I21 and 128 respectively (see Fig. 4-), the flanges I21 and I28 resting onand being fixed to the member 34. The flanges I25 and I26 are recessed at I3I and I3 2 respectively through which the semicircular member passes. Suitable guides I33 and I34, extending laterally between the plates 2| and 22 may also be provided for the semicircular member 55- and to strengthen the ground-engaging assembly III. These guides I33 and I34 may have their ends fixed to the cooperating sides of plates 2I and 22" and recessed laterally through which the cooperating portions of the member 55 may pass as shown at I35" and I36. For main- I 22 and the .1 tainingthe' member 58 in perpendicular position and to carry the stress exerted thereon by the member 55 when the knife edges at 6I and 62 are" in contact with the notches 51 in the sides of port 56, an opening MI is provided in the bottom and centrally of member 34. The member 34-may be reinforced on the bottom and top adjacent the opening I 4! as shown at I42. It can be understood that when the lever II 5 is moved downwardly by its free end I 26 against the spring I2I, the upper end of the knife edges 6| and 62 will pass below the recess 56 in the semicircular member 55 and thereby permit the bridge II to be adjusted about its pivot support in order to provide the desired inclination between the ground-contacting member III and the bridge II. Upon releasing the lever H5, the spring I2I will return the lever II5 to its uppermost position and thereby bring the member 58 upwardly and engage the knife edges 6| and 62 with the notches 51 in the recess 56 and anchor the bridge in the position that may be selected.

The present attachment is substantially of the same construction for both the left and right foot, except that the free ends I26 of the levers H5 extend inwardly and in opposite directions to one another. The lever I I5 of the attachment on one shoe may be pressed downwardly by the attachment on the other shoe and the bridge adjusted for the desired inclination relative to the ground-engaging member by merely imposing body weight upon a selected end of the bridge I I of the attachment being adjusted. Upon release of the lever the spring I2I will move the lever H5 to its uppermost position, bringing the knife edges 6| and 62 into engagement with the notches 51 in the recess 56 of the member 55 and lock the foot support II at the selected angle with ground-engaging member Ill.

The present device can be easily and quickly attached to and detached from a shoe, easily and quickly adjusted to provide the proper and normal position of the feet during walking on irregular terrains and is light in weight, simple in structure, desirable and comparatively cheap to manufacture.

While I have illustrated and described the present invention in connection with a hiking shoe, it will now be obvious to those skilled in the art that certain features of the invention, such as the means including the clip 66 for attaching the present device to a shoe, may be used for connecting other devices such as skates to a shoe. Other changes, additions, substitutions and modifications may be made in the present device with- 7. out departing from the spirit and scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. An attachment for supporting a shoe in substantially a, horizontal position when walking on inclined surfaces including: a surface engaging member, a shoe support carried by said member, means for adjusting the relative vertical spacing of both ends of the support, said means including means for pivotally mounting the said shoe support on the said surface engaging member, and means for locking the said member in fixed relation with said support, the last said means including a semi-circular shaped member carried by said shoe support having a locking member thereon and a cooperating locking member carried by the said surface engaging member movable in and out of engagement with the locking member on said shoe support.

2. A shoe attachment for supporting a shoe in substantially a horizontal position when walking on inclined surfaces including a surface engaging member, said member having spaced longitudinal members, means for connecting and maintaining said longitudinal members in fixed relation, the last said means including a downwardly extending inverted channel-shaped member disposed at and connecting the front and rear ends of said longitudinal members, and a shoe support pivotally mounted intermediate its ends on said surface engaging member.

3. A shoe attachment in accordance with claim 2 wherein the said channel-shaped member is provided with inserts, said inserts extending below the lowermost plane of said surface-engaging member.

4. An attachment for use in maintaining soles of shoes in a virtually horizontal plane when walking on inclined terrain, comprising: a longitudinally extending, substantially plane shoesupporting element; clamping means carried by the element to firmly position and hold a shoe thereon; and an adjustably positionable member provided with a surface-engaging bottom face, said member being connected to the shoe-supporting element for adjustment about a transverse axis located beneath the arch of a shoe on the supporting element and in the centrally disposed section of the latter, and means for adjustably positioning said member upon said axis, said means including a biased locking and releasing arm extending transversely beyond the longitudinal edge of the shoe-supporting element.

5. An attachment for supporting a shoe with its sole in a substantially horizontal position when walking upon inclined surfaces, comprising: a shoe-supporting bridge provided with clamps for attaching the same to toe and heel portions of a shoe; and a ground-contacting member beneath said bridge and adjustably connected thereby by a transversely extending, substantially horizontal, pivotal connection intermediate the ends of said bridge, said ground-contacting member having a lower, ground-contacting face extending from beneath the region of the toe to beneath the region of the heel of a shoe on the bridge, said face being wider than said bridge.

6. An attachment for supporting a shoe with its sole in a substantially horizontal position when walking upon inclined surfaces, comprising: a shoe-supporting bridge provided with means for attaching the same to a shoe; an elongated ground-contacting member provided with a pair of upstanding, spaced, triangular sides; a horizontally disposed, pivotal connection between said sides and said bridge intermediate the ends of the latter; and means for adjustably pivotally positioning said ground-contacting member with respect to said bridge, said ground-contacting member having a lower ground-contacting face extending from beneath the region of the toe to beneath the region of the heel of a shoe on the bridge.

'7. An attachment of the character stated in claim 6, wherein the ground-contacting face of the ground-contacting member is Wider than the bridge and is provided with ground-engaging elements.

8. An attachment of the character stated in claim 6, wherein the means for adjustably positioning the ground-contacting member on said pivotal connection are spring-biased and include a lever having an operating end extending through a port in a side of said ground-contacting member.

9. An attachment of the character stated in claim 6, wherein the means for adjustably positioning the ground-contacting member on said pivotal connection include: an arcuate member carried by the bridge and extending downwardly "between said spaced sides, and spring biased means carried by the ground-contacting member for selective and adjustable engagement with the arcuat member for positioning the ground-contacting face of the ground-contacting member in a desired plane with respect to the plane of the bridge.

10. An attachment of the character stated in claim 6, wherein the shoe-supporting bridge includes a longitudinally extending channel, a shaft having oppositely threaded end portions rotatably held in said channel and shoe-engaging clamping means operably connected to the threaded end portions of said shaft.

11. An attachment of the character described, including a ground-contacting member and a shoe-supporting bridge connected thereto by a pivotal connection, said shoe-supporting bridge comprising a longitudinally extending channel member having spaced upstanding side walls and a bottom web, a flange extending from the longitudinal edge of each side wall of the channel, said flanges lying in a plane above said web, means carried by the forward portion of the bridge for clamping opposite sides of a shoe in the region of the toe, means carried b the rear portion of the bridge for engaging opposite sides of a shoe in the region of the heel, and means disposed in said channel for moving said first and second means toward and away from one another selectively.

attaching the same to a shoe; an elongated 'tioning the bridge in a desired plane with re- 12. An attachment for supporting a shoe with its sole in a substantially horizontal position when walking upon inclined surfaces, comprising: a shoe-supporting bridge provided with means for ground-contacting member provided with a. pair of upstanding, spaced, triangular sides; and means adjustably connecting said bridge and ground-contacting member for selectivel posispect to the plane of the lower surface of the ground-contacting member, said means including v a substantially horizontal, transverse pivot pin the bridge intermediate its ends, an arcuate eleconnecting the apex portion of each side with ment carried by the bridge around said pin and extending between said sides, a longitudinally eX- tending opening in said arcuate element, opposingv edges of said opening being provided with serrations, a locking bar carried by the groundcontacting member and extending through said port, said locking bar being movable into and out of locking engagement with the serrations of said opening, spring means normally biasing said REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

Number Number 10 UNITED STATES PATENTS Name Date Kramer Apr. 3, 1888 Heinemann Aug. 17, 1926 FOREIGN PATENTS Country Date Switzerland May 18, 1896 Germany Oct. 17, 1905 France June 26, 1923 

